When asked by Music Week what he would change about the music industry, Gore replied: "I'm not advocating violence but I think somebody should shoot Simon Cowell.

"His influence in the music industry over the last God knows how many years it's been now... it's just like, so many people think that that's what music is.

"What happened to bands getting together? They are very few and far between now and the ones that do probably can't afford to get into a studio and make a record."

Frontman Dave Gahan also spoke about the difficulties new musicians have within the current state of the music industry.

He said: "It's a pretty horrible business today really, I've got to say. You have to be tough and you've got to be thick skinned because there are going to be things written about you that you're not going to like.

"You're going to get scrutinised, your work will not always be liked and if they do like something really a lot they're probably not going to like the next thing and compare it to the last thing. It takes time for a band to grow if they're any good."

Gahan also admitted that Depeche Mode did not have to suffer the same kind of negative media attention as current bands.

He explained: "We were lucky that we were taken under the wing of [producer] Daniel Miller who never once in the studio said, 'Where's the hit song?'"

Depeche Mode are currently working on a new album, expected to be released in 2013.